Summer Holidays

Solar Powered Summer 2018

Even before the school holidays started we were enjoying the fabulous summer that might have ended any day reverting back to the expected summer of drizzly rain and low 20 degrees C temps.

But it didn't end, it just got better and better and better. So we lapped it up.The pool in the garden got used a lot and whilst I couldn't colonise it and have lots of gatherings as is my want as it is a shared pool we still managed some good poolside fun. This has meant that the recording of the summer has fallen by the wayside as I don't like to waste a minute indoors and with the evening twilight lasting untill 10 30pm I haven't wanted to get the computer cranked up. Add the fact I share this computer with 3 kids now means I need to share a lot of our adventures all at once. 

With one week of school left before then hoidays that included Wandertag (class excursion day) for the Bear (bike ride and pool day) and the Monkey (a treasure hunt around the ornamental lake) who are at Gymnasium we, ok I decided that we didn't need to rest but instead enjoy the outdoors and company of friends.

For some unknown reason a trip across the border to the Netherlands has become a tradition of mine. Normally it is a ladies trip but this year my first visit was expanded to an all Australian extraganza as all 5 of us went with Possum Boy and his grown ups. We dealt with the logistics of day trip bag packing as only one can when one lives on the 2nd floor, grabbed our SchoenerTag Ticket (which is for our area of Germany but extends just over the border) and off we went. The Bear wasn't initally impressed at being forced to go as the promise of market food and a pub lunch isn't appealing to a 13 year old but then... 

the witty conversation and summer party atmosphere we brought with us, cheese shops with many tasting opportunities and the BEST RETRO GAMING/COMPUTER SHOP IN THE UNIVERSE changed his mind.

Luckily the gaming shop was next door to a lolly shop and around the corner from a pub where we rested our tired legs after much marketing and I discovered that my kids can play chess. As the Bear said with his mock 13 year old sarcasm, "Mum I went to chess club at school for a year so I didn't have to run around at lunch time, of course I can play!" A picnic on the train on the way home with a beer (for the grown ups due to liberal views on drinking on public transport), fizzy drink for the kids, cheese and dip rounded off the day. Guess who spilt beetroot dip on the floor...Me ekk!  

The next day we grabbed a SchoenerTag Ticket again and headed out to the lake with Frau Z, Herr R, their boys and a very big bag of frisbees. Having always lived on the coast the thing I miss most when we are in Germany is putting my feet in the water. I know there are lakes about but we have never managed to explored them with the exception of the visit to "Die Schoenste See der Welt" I took years ago with already mentioned Frau Z and her girl gang. It was an old quarry and not gorgeous but a whole lot of fun. So having checked that the promised lake was actually a lake we could swim in we set out on our short train journey and stroll to the lake. As an Australian who doesn't live in Bondi I forget that beaches and lakes can get crowded. So we, with what seemed like the rest of the population of North Rhein Westphalian found the lake which luckily had a Disc golf course (that is the professional name for frisbee course) adjoining it.   

Herr R had checked the water quality website and we were good to swim! It was cool but beautiful!  

We were all then given a crash course in Disc Golf. Luckily Herr R was a very patient teacher as he had left handers, right handers and the Mouse who managed to land hers in the tree. We played a few baskets whilst marvelling at his very practised abilities and Herr F braved what we dubbed...

"The Basket of Doom". Note, in photo below you can't feel the stinging nettles lightly threatening your ankles and central nervous system, the basket is just out of shot, and the frisbee had rolled down that hill away from the basket twice already. 

Two weekends in one go.

Vikings, Summer Send, Theatre, more World Cup, and 2 Birthdays.

We weren't going to go to Sommer Send but the weather was good and it is just too much fun not to. 

I spend all my time making sure the kids are safe and then I let this one on the chair swing again!

The Windmill had been advertising a Viking Day so of course I dragged the crew along. First stop is always the baker. This time we didn't miss out.

The kids were all about the games and weapons while Herr F and I were all about the outdoor furniture and the tableware like it was a camping expo.

Felt mice but they were a little too life like for me to touch,

Vegetarians shouldn't love the smokehouse but we do. Originally built in 1610. It is always so cosy and there are hundreds of things to look at. Everytime I find a new corner in this house. I always remember listening to the story teller in here years ago when the kids were little and it was freezing cold outside with the fire was burning in the centre of the house to keep us warm.

Sunday at the theatre for the ladies.

Somehow with all these outings we have, after years finished reading all the Harry Potter books aloud! The Bear had read ahead years ago and the Mouse joined in at book 5 as I realised this would be the one and only time I would read the series aloud. The Monkey was there from the beginning. "The Order of the Phoenix" took nearly a year as I was working and the print was tiny on foxed pages. This year with more time we got to spend many an afternoon/evening/train trip reading the remaining books.

The weather has been super warm and the summer is staring in promising fashion. I have always wanted to go to a Schwebergarten and I was lucky enough to be invited to one on a very warm Friday afternoon by a lovely fellow school mum who I have known since the kindergarten days. Schwebergaerten are allotments. It was such a wonderful (and hot) afternoon sitting in the very quiet garden chatting and eating cake and melon. Unfortunately I forgot to take photos until I was leaving. Above is the wheat field that surrounded it. For the record, you can still hear the church bells ringing from the gardens.

Then the weekend of garden sitting continued with a birthday celebration for Frau Z (aka Monkey the first). I always love a photo of these two together, what I didn't realise until I made the photo bigger is that Herr F and the Mouse are clowning around in the background as only they can.

The Bear was happy as he got to drink cola in what looked like a beer bottle and at 13 he thought that was pretty cool (without the horrible taste of beer). Actually he tried a non-alcoholic recently and I think that will keep him off it until 18 as he screwed his face up and was unimpressed as everyone is the first time they tried beer.

More cake was to be had and parks further away were to be found on Sunday afternoon as we helped Herr G celebrate his birthday. Sushi rolls, chocolate cake, berry cake, a bike tour and Skandy inspired games in the garden is a pretty good way to celebrate. First stop was the Magic Far Away Tree.

And that was how we filled two action packed but equally relaxing weekends at the end of June 2018.

We do actually rest sometimes!

Sometimes, just like the tablet, it is just a week to have a rest and finish up a few things. The Monkey has had sore knees from growing pains so we started the week slowly and it continued pretty much the same way.

A whole lot of maths homework for both the Monkey and the Mouse got done. The Bear had already studied for his maths test over the weekend. 

After the Monkey took in the geodesic dome for art the art teacher must love me and my over achieving paper construction support of my kids as the Bear decided he wanted a mountain as a base for his future house. I helped him construct the base and he had a willing helper when it came to the paper coatings.

Some cooler weather and rain so we were back in our swish (both looks and sound when you walk) clothes.

With a little down time came the completion of the frame of our second puzzle. 1000 pieces, black/white. We may have bitten off more than we can chew!